Apparatus for conveying metals to centrifugal casting molds



Mar h 2, 1954 F. A. WAGNER ET AL 2,670,5

APPARATUS FOR CONVEYING METALS TO CENIRIFUGAL CASTING MOLDS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 5, 1951 zarnejys March 95 F. A. WAGNER ETAL 2,670, 0

APPARATUS FOR CONVEYING METALS TO CENIRIFUGAL CASTING MOLDS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 5, 1951 In Vi? fans Frederic/5 .fli Mayne?" 26 era j. Pzerce 5 M m flfforneys Patented Mar. 2, 1954 V APPARATUS FOR GENTRIFUGAL CASTING MOLDS Frederick A. Wagner, East Lansing, and Albert D.

Pierce, Lansing, Mich., assignors to Campbell, Wyant & Cannon Foundry Company, Muskeegon, Mich., a corporation; of Michigan ApplicationlMay 5, 1951, Serial'No. 224,709

Our invention relates to improvements incontinuous flow of molten metal and has for one object to provide means whereby a continuous controlled flow of molten metal may be conducted from a suitable source of-the molten metal continuously to the point'at which casting is taking place.

Another object of our invention is to provide in association with a single source of molten metal, means whereby a plurality of continuously flowing streams of the molten metal may be conducted to the casting point and whereby metal may be cast at the casting point intermittently in a continuous series of casting operations.

Another object of our invention is to provide means whereby molten metal may be continuously conducted without interruption from a source of molten metal supply to a point immediately adjacent the mold and whereby the metal may be cast into a series of successively presented molds with a minimum of time lag between the departure of the metal from the source of molten metal and its arrival at the point at which it is to be cast and wherein that time lag may be substantially uniform for each casting operation.

Our invention is illustrated as being particularly applied to the casting of centrifugally cast and fused iron liners in a plurality of steel brake shells to form brake drums though obviously our invention could equally well be applied to other casting operations. Y

Experience teaches that when molten metal is to be conveyed in a continuous stream through an extended distance from the source of molten metal supply to the casting point, it is of the utmost importance that the rate of flow of the meta1 be maintained substantially constant and continuous as otherwise the metal will freeze in the stream and interfere with the casting oper-'- ation.

We propose to provide a single source of molten metal preferably an electric furnace which contains a substantial mass of the metal, the metal may be melted in the furnace or it may be brought from the cupola in ladles to the furnace. In either case the electric furnace contains a relatively large highly heated mass of molten metal. The furnace is manipulated to cause it to continuously discharge a stream of this molten metal and that stream is continuously conducted to the pouring point where it is received in a holding and pouring ladle, the ladle being intermittently manipulated to cause a discharge of the molten metal into the mold, in this case, for example, into the interior of a steel drum.

1 Claim. (Cl. 22-79) For convenience,- we propose to divide, this molten stream of metalfrom the furnace into two or more separate streams, each stream discharging to' one of -a-' plurality ofholding and pouring ladles. We provide at the pointwhere the metal is discharged from the furnace a control box'or reservoir which receives the metal and distributes it to either or all of two or more spouts. The pouring rate of the furnace is continuously adjusted to pour the right amount of metal into the control box. The controLbox is continuously adjusted so that under ordinary circumstances if two spouts are used,-half its contents. flows into one spout and half into-theother. However, the control box is: subject to-manipulation so as to increase the relative rate of discharge into one or the other: of the spouts just asthe furnace itself is controlled to-varythe'totalrateof discharge. 1

The metalflowsdown each of the spouts to a holding and pouring ladle The capacity of the holding and pouring ladle is such that while it receives a continuous flow of molten metal under ordinary conditions, it holds enough of 1 the molten metal so that the pouring of the metal from the ladlecan be in'termittentand 'as each mold is presented to the ladle, the operator. manipulates it to supply to the mold-in the short length of time when the moldand the ladle are in pouring relation, the entire amount of the charge received by the moldpwhich amount is greater than the amount of metal fed to the pouring ladle during-the time'the pouring ladle and the mold are in such pouring relationship. Thus the amount of metal in the pouring ladle is being periodically withdrawn to fill the mold and continuously renewed so as to provide an adequate supply of metal in the ladle at all times. The result of this, of course, is that a 'suffioient mass of metal is'at all times in the pouring and holding ladle to maintain the temperature of the metal poured in the mold at the desired proper pouring temperature, the loss of temperature by radiation and loss of metal by pouring being continuously made up by the continuously flowing stream of metal fed from the furnace to the pouring and holding ladle.

Our invention is illustrated more or less diagrammatically in the accompanying drawings, wherein- Figure 1 is a plan view of the apparatus showing only the spout of the furnace;

Figure 2 is a vertical section through the furnace;

Figure 3 is a front elevation in part section of the device shown in Figure 1 with parts omitted;

Figure 4 is a, front elevation of the spinner.

Like parts are indicated by like characters throughout the specification and drawings.

I illustrates diagrammatically a standard electric furnace having nose tilt. The furnace will be charged periodically so as to always contain a substantial quantity of molten metal, the volume of the mass in the furnace being so related to the successive charges to the furnace and to the electric controls that the temperature of the molten metal in the furnace will be substantially constant at all times during operation.

The furnace is so arranged thatit tilts arounda pivot axis 2, being tilted from the rear by hydraulic or other tilt mechanism 3. Under these circumstances since the pouring end of the spout 4 is substantially coextensive with the pivot axis. molten metal spills out of the furnace always at exactly the same point. The metal falls from the spout into the equalizer box I2.

The importance of having a nose tiltingfurnace is that the level of the weir or dam over which the metal is discharged remains constant. As a result the drop from the furnace to the equalizer box is always constant no matter how much metal is being poured out of the furnace. The equalizer or distribution box 42 is mounted on a pivot 13 on a frame 14 on the support 15 and is controlled by the-control rod 16 and hand wheel I! at the control station l3. Normally the equalizer'box is in the position of full lines of Figure 3 but it may be tilted to one side or another asindicated in dotted lines to control the flow from the equalizer box into the two spouts I9, 20. These two spouts are supported pivotally as at 24: on the frame and each spout may receive molten metal from. the equalizer box l2. Normally when the demand for metal for the two spouts I9, 20: is the same as it usually is, the tilt of the furnace is so controlled. and the position of the equalizer box so controlled that thereis asubstantially equal flow ofv molten metal from" the equalizer box into both spouts IS, 20.

There are two spouts because eachspout feeds one of theturnta-bles- 22, 23. The two turntables are generally the same and a descniptionv of one will: suflice for both. Each turntable has arranged thereona plurality of spinners compris ing a framework Zita motor 25,. ajaw chuck 26,

a chuckhousing 211, .Each jaw chuck is adapted toreceivea continuous annular steel ring. Each ring: is gripped by the jaw chuck and the ring. is rotated: when the chuck spins. The ring is spun as the metal is cast into it sothatv as the molten metal flows into the ring, this metal by centrifugal force is held to and distributed about the inner periphery of the'ring;

Referring particularly to-Figure- 3,. each of. the chutes I9, 20 being pivoted at 2| is supported at 4 its outboard end by a chain or tension member 28. At the end of each chute or spout I9, is a pouring ladle or duck bill 29. This duck bill receives a continuous flow of metal through the spout l9. It is pivoted at 30, and may be rotated about that pivot by the fork 3i engaging a cam 32, the cam being rotated manually by the wheel 33. This cam may tilt the duck bill '29 so as to hold metal as shown in full lines in Figure 3 or so as to pour it as shown in dotted lines in Figure 3 into the pivoted runner or measuring box 3 8. The runner box is pivoted for rotation about .a horizontal axis on the door 35. When the door isclosed, the runner box extends into the inside of the chuck and the inside of the steel ring carried by the chuck. When the runner box is rotated, while the chuck is spinning and carrying with it the ring, the molten metal which has been deposited in the runner box will be poured into the ring and be distributed by centrifugal force about the inner ring periphery.

We claim:

Means for supplying molten metal to a plurality of molds as they travel along a circular path about a vertical axis, which include an inclined, metalconducting trough, pivoted at its upper end for movement about a vertical axis located outside of the path of the molds, a pouring ladle having a pouring lip and adapted to receive metal from, and mounted to travel with, the lower end of the trough, in a generally horizontal plane, about the pivot manual means for tilting the ladle relative to the trough from holding to pouring position and return, the distance between the axes being suchthat, the pouring lip travels aiong a circu-larpath, which at the intersection of the two paths with a line joining the axes, is tangent to the path of the metal receiv ing portion of the mold.

FREDERICK A. WAGNER. ALBERT D. PIERCE.-

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 655,296 Collins Aug. 7, 1900 1,690,750 Mo-yer Nov. 6, 1928 1,915,650 Dumas June 27-, 1933 1,915 651 Dumas June 27, 1933 1,917,872 Campbell July 11, 1933 2,071,890 McVVane Feb. 23 1937 2,104,406- -S'orens'en et all Jan. 4, 1938 -2"-,I29,050 Dumas et alL Sept. 6, 1938 2,225,173 Hanson Dec. 1'7, 1946 2,522,031 Gavin Sept, 12, 1-950 OTHER REFERENCES The Foundry, April 1932, pages 40', 41, 42 and 86 

